


The Life And Times Of Teddy Lupin

by allstoriesintheend



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Hogwarts, Post-Hogwarts, Pre-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 10:21:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20562707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allstoriesintheend/pseuds/allstoriesintheend
Summary: A series of events that take place over the course of Teddy's childhood.





	The Life And Times Of Teddy Lupin

It’s May 3rd, 1998, and Teddy Lupin hasn't stopped crying since he woke. His Grandmother is rocking him patiently, trying to shush the wails that are continuously coming from the infant. His hair has shifted from the blue tuft that he had mere days ago, to a flush of soft pink. Andromeda knows exactly what he wants, but she can’t give it to him anymore than she can bring her daughter and son-in-law back.  
  
Teddy cries out his tears by midnight.  
  
His hair is no longer a soft pink, but a light brown.  
  


* * *

  
  
It’s April 19th, 1999, and Teddy Lupin is attempting to tear open the paper wrapped around his presents. Harry is sat across him as he tries, in vain, until he looks at his Godfather for help. The room is filled with other adults all talking to each other and watching the newly-one-year old, whose hair was a mix of colours today, try to break into his gifts.  
  
“Come here, Ted.”  
  
So Teddy does. He’s mastered walking by now, and his clumsy steps carry him across the plush carpet of the room as he abandons the gift altogether. Harry, like the other adults, start laughing. Teddy looks around at them, spotting his grandmother standing near the doorway. Teddy thinks he could probably get there, until Harry scoops him up and walks him back toward the present that he had left behind. Teddy huffs, being made to sit down on Harry’s knee as his Godfather lifts the box up to pull the paper from it. His little grump, however, is gone when Harry passes him what was hiding inside the box – a stuffed Dragon.  
  
It’s soon in his pudgy little hands, and its foot in his mouth being chewed. Harry is reaching for another box, while his grandmother is taking pictures.  
  
Teddy doesn’t get all the fuss.  
  
He’ll happily stick his hands straight into the birthday cake when it’s brought out later for him, though.  
  


* * *

  
  
It’s May 2nd, 2000, and Teddy decides he doesn’t like the smell of St. Mungo’s Hospital. His nose is scrunched up as he holds tight to Andromeda’s hand, being led along the corridor.  
  
It’s a funny day, Teddy thinks.  
  
This morning, his grandmother was upset. This morning, they had gone to look at the white stones that have words engraved on them that Teddy just can’t read yet, and everyone had been quiet. Teddy had been lying on the grass between two stones that he knows are important, staying quiet while the adults around him greet each other with hugs. He doesn’t like how sad the day is, how sad it seems to make Andromeda, but Teddy always stays quiet.  
  
Now Andromeda’s leading him through the hospital, telling him that he’s no longer going to be the only child in the family.  
  
When they get to the room, Teddy can’t see anything other than the adults that he’s so used to, standing around a bed. He’s up on his tip-toes, almost falling over – he would have, if not for Andromeda holding his hand – trying to see what all the commotion is about.  
  
“Ted – Teddy! There you are!”  
  
His hand is suddenly out of Andromeda’s hold as he’s lifted up by Bill – who has a familiar smell that Teddy finds comfort in, though Teddy can’t explain why – and placed on the bed, where Fleur’s holding a small bundle in her arms. Teddy looks at Bill who’s smiling at him, then to his grandmother who’s nodding softly. That was all the motivation he needed to get up on his hands and knees on the bed to peer into the bundle of blankets that Fleur was holding. He scrunches his nose up again, looking at the very little person snoozing in Fleur’s arms.  
  
“’Er name is Victoire,” Fleur tells him.  
  
Teddy, looking at the baby, decides there’s only one thing to say about her. His hair however beats him to it – changing from the Weasley red he had decided on that morning to match the colour of the baby’s face and the blankets she’s swathed up in.  
  
“She’s pink.”  
  
When the adults break out into laughter, Victoire starts to stir. Teddy’s forgotten about the adults around them, just for a moment, as he watches her blink.  
  


* * *

  
  
It’s December 25th, 2002, and Teddy asks a question that makes Andromeda drop the glass she’s holding. Silence falls around The Burrow, and Teddy’s face burns as bright as his red hair as he ducks his head down, wishing he hadn’t said anything at all. His little hands grasp at the hem of his Christmas jumper, holding the fabric tight. He’s up on his tiptoes, rocking back and forth as he looks anywhere but at his Grandmother, who – he decides – looks as sad as she does when they go to see those stones that Teddy still can’t quite read.  
  
“Vic’s got – and Freddie – where are 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦?”  
  
Teddy licks his lips, becoming very aware that everyone seems to be looking at him, and as he quickly looks up, he begins to notice that they all look as sad as Andromeda does. There’s still Christmas music playing on the old record player that Arthur put on, though Teddy could’ve sworn it had gone quieter since he had spoken.  
  
He shouldn’t have asked. It was all Victoire’s fault, he tells himself. She was the one shouting for her parents to come and see Teddy’s new morph – a little dog nose – and Teddy realised that the words she used to get attention from Bill and Fleur were words Teddy never used.  
  
“Teddy…”  
  
It’s Harry’s voice that answers his question. Teddy turns to look at his Godfather, waiting patiently for a better answer than just the sound of his own name. But before Harry can answer, Andromeda beckons him toward her. Teddy turns from Harry and walks straight to his Grandmother, taking her hand as soon as he’s there.  
  
“Let’s have a walk, shall we? Put your coat on, we’ll go outside.”  
  
Teddy barely registers that quiet noise begins to fill the room the further he and Andromeda walk from it. He does as he’s told – coat and boots on – and follows her outside to play in the snow.  
  
When the door opens again, Andromeda’s carrying him inside. His little face is wet with tears, and his arms are tight around Andromeda. The Christmas party is still going, but Teddy decides he wants to spend the rest of it sat on his Grandmother’s knee rather than play with the two other children.  
  
It's not fair, Teddy thinks.  
  
Freddie gets to have his mum and dad. Victoire gets to have hers – and she gets a new baby too.  
  
Teddy doesn’t even get to say ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ to people that will answer him.  
  


* * *

  
  
It's July 12th, 2004, and Teddy decides that he’s sick of babies.  
  
First Victoire – but he can’t exactly dislike her, she’s his best friend – but then there’s Freddie, little Dominique, and Molly who arrived only a month after Dominique had, and now ––  
  
“Do you have to have a baby?”  
  
“Well – yeah, Teddy. Ginny’s going to have a baby.”  
  
“Can’t you borrow Dom instead?”  
  
“No, Ted. Bill and Fleur would miss her, wouldn’t they?”  
  
Teddy chewed on his bottom lip as looked at his Godfather. Harry was running a hand through his black hair, something Teddy unconsciously copied as his hair shifted from green to match Harry’s black. His Godfather sighs, patting the space on the couch next to him. Teddy abandons his toys and goes to join Harry, now big enough that he doesn’t need help to get on the seat.  
  
“It’s just someone new for you to teach and play with, like you do with Freddie and Dom. And you love playing with Victoire, don’t you? She was new too, once.”  
  
“Vic’s not a baby anymore. She’s almost as grown up as me.”  
  
“Alright, well – the baby won’t stay a baby forever, Teddy. It’ll grow up too.”  
  
Teddy looks at Harry, blankly at first, before he flops back onto the sofa in as much of a defeated huff as a six-year old can manage. He crosses his arms over his chest just as Ginny walks in the room to join them. She takes one look over the couch and leans down to tickle Teddy until his hair turns pink, and he’s crying with laughter. She throws him over her shoulder then, taking up his space next to Harry. He looks at her, then to Harry, until he’s smiling.  
  
“You can have a baby if you want.”  
  
It'll be okay, Teddy decides, if the baby comes and it’s like Ginny.  
  


* * *

  
It’s September 1st, 2009, and an eleven year old Teddy Lupin is trying his best not to jitter around his Grandmother. She’s already seen to it that his trunk has been loaded onto the train, and Teddy’s seen to it that he definitely didn’t help with that, having already dropped the thing on his foot twice that very morning.  
  
He looks around, watching all the other families say goodbye to children who, in five minutes, will be boarding the train just like he is. Except, some other children have only brought their parents with them.  
  
Teddy?  
  
He has his entire extended family there to see him off.  
  
Several people have already stared at his Godfather, who Teddy doesn’t see as being cool in the slightest – Ginny’s the cool one, 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺. Teddy’s used to it by now, of course. He’s been out in the Wizarding World with Harry enough times to know that people often stop and stare at him, as much as Harry tends not to notice it.  
  
The whistle blows for the train, and Teddy’s suddenly very nervous. He turns to look at Andromeda with wide amber eyes, his hair flashing several different colours as he struggles to calm himself down.  
  
“What if I don’t like it? What if I want to come home? Can I come home?”  
  
Andromeda shushes him easily, patting his cheek. For the most part, Teddy’s subdued enough by the simple touch. It’s the hug from Andromeda that gets him, and easily tears have filled up Teddy’s eyes.  
  
He knew he couldn’t stay at home, even if he doesn’t like Hogwarts. It’s a conversation he’s already had with Andromeda, and Harry, and a couple more of the adults, and they all told him the same thing – once he gets there, he won’t want to come home.  
  
That’s easy for them to say, Teddy thought. They’re not about to be going to the school that their parents died inside.  
  
But Teddy stays quiet. The whistle goes again, and Andromeda’s gently letting him go.  
  
“You’ll miss the train if you stand here any longer, Teddy.”  
  
“You’ll write to me, every week?”  
  
“Every 𝘥𝘢𝘺, if you want.”  
  
Teddy nods quickly. Every day will do, he supposes. Andromeda presses a kiss to his cheek and ruffles his blue hair before patting his shoulders, urging him to get on his way. Teddy takes one last look at his extended family – offering a wave to a sniffling Victoire – before he gets on the train and rushes to find a compartment he can sit in.  
  
As the train starts to move, Teddy finds one that’s empty. He presses his face to the glass as much as he can without looking ridiculous and waves at them until they’re so far in the distance that Teddy can’t make out who is who anymore.  
  
  
When he’s at breakfast the next day, a letter drops itself onto his empty plate. Teddy eagerly opens it – only to be met with yellow fireworks shooting out of the envelope, showering him with light. His new friends are already laughing, noting that the fireworks are the exact same shade as the hair he had given himself when he jumped off the stool after the Sorting Hat had very proudly announced:  
  
“Hufflepuff!”  
  
There are older students laughing too, watching as Teddy shakes out the last of the fireworks into his hand and blows them upward in the air.  
  
For now, he thinks, Hogwarts isn’t so bad.  
  


* * *

  
  
It's February 7th, 2012, and Teddy is in the middle of a fight in the Courtyard with a fellow Third Year. It’s all fists – wands forgotten – and for the most part, Teddy’s the one coming out on top. That is until he’s being hauled off the Ravenclaw boy by Professor Longbottom and being held back tightly. Professor Longbottom clears off the other students, sends the Ravenclaw to the Hospital Wing, and hauls Teddy inside with a strong hand on his shoulder.  
  
Teddy lets himself be led without resistance, wiping at his bloody nose with the sleeve of his robes. He doesn’t register where they’re going until they arrive at an Office door, and Teddy’s invited inside. Professor Longbottom tells him to sit down, and so, he does. It’s only seconds before Teddy can’t help but let words spill out of his mouth like it had been paining him to hold them in. There are a few foul words here and there – Teddy can’t help it – as he tries to explain himself.  
  
“Teddy – 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.”  
  
Teddy abruptly stops, licks his lips, and pointedly turns his gaze away from the Professor seated in front of him.  
  
“He was talking about Dad.”  
  
That’s all it takes. Teddy breaks off into another rant, itching at the backs of his hands and under his chin so absentmindedly that it doesn’t even register. His body feels like everything is just a little too much – his skin’s too tight, his thoughts too erratic, and his twitches becoming just a little too prominent.  
  
It’s a full moon tonight.  
  
There’s nothing that happens, to him – he doesn’t transform into a Werewolf – as a matter of fact, he doesn’t have any Werewolf traits that he knows of, except a heightened sense of smell – but the full moon always makes him highly irritable.  
  
Professor Longbottom listens to him talk until Teddy’s ran out of words. The blue-haired teen slumps in the chair, rubbing his hand over his face now that there’s no longer blood streaming from his nose. Teddy’s waiting for the punishment – he rarely gets them (or gets caught, more like) – and the loss of House Points, which would be a shame considering that Hufflepuff was in the lead.  
  
But all he gets is a detention to be served with Professor Longbottom the following evening.  
  
As it turns out – the detention isn’t much of one. Professor Longbottom spends their time together talking about Teddy’s father.  
  
Teddy spends the following day sporting light-brown hair, and never gets into another fight.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
It's May 1st, 2013, and Teddy’s standing in a room at Hogwarts with some of his extended family. Harry’s there, Hermione, and the Weasleys – and to his own delight, his Grandmother. He’s standing with her, a little to the side of the rest of the family, as the curtain surrounding the picture frame is pulled down, and the portrait revealed. Andromeda stifles a sob. Teddy stares at the portrait in front of him, trying to resist reaching a hand out to touch the moving picture.  
  
Teddy knows they won’t ever speak – the portrait is new, and his parents never got to interact with it to make it come to life with their likeness. Still, that doesn’t stop him from speaking to it, offering a watery smile.  
  
“Hi Mum, Dad.”  
  
His parents stare back at him, offering soft smiles.  
  


* * *

  
  
It’s November 1st, 2014, and it’s only just dawned on Teddy that he’s in love with his best friend. He and Victoire are sitting in the library together writing essays for their respective classes, and he’s looking at her like it’s the first time he’s ever seen her. Her quill is still on her parchment and a frown is etched lightly onto her features, a face Teddy knows she makes when she’s deep in thought.  
  
“What are you staring at?”  
  
It's a miracle that Teddy doesn’t blurt out how he feels about her then and there. He shrugs from his place across the table, which earns him a light kick underneath it in retaliation. Teddy sniggers, catching Victoire’s gaze when she looks up. She takes one look at him and rolls her eyes, though Teddy can see a hidden smile playing on her lips.  
  
“Your ink’s dripping.”  
  
They don’t make it back to the Common Room before Teddy asks her out on a date for their next Hogsmeade trip.  
  
Her response is to kiss him for the first time.  
  


* * *

  
  
It’s March 10th, 2015, and Teddy is sat in Professor McGonagall’s office with a teacup in his hands. He’s been invited up every March 10th since the fight in his Third Year, and he knows exactly why.  
  
It’s his father’s birthday.  
  
Professor McGonagall never explicitly states that’s why she requests his presence, and Teddy never explicitly asks.  
  
What Professor McGonagall does do is often tell Teddy stories about his father from his time at Hogwarts; how he and his friends were some (Teddy reckons that she means ‘definitely’ instead) of her favourite students. He laughs when she tells him about the mischief his father got up to while he was at school, a side of him that Teddy rarely hears about as there are few left who remember the young Remus Lupin. He’s heard countless stories about his mother from her younger days, but his father’s stories seem to come few and far between.  
  
Teddy takes another sip of tea as he listens to McGonagall talk about James Potter standing Remus Lupin in front of her to explain that they didn’t technically break school rules while doing what they were doing.  
  
He laughs into his cup, flashing her a smile.  
  
One that’s a remnant of that very same young Remus Lupin, who had smiled his way through every one of his explanations.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
It's July 3rd, 2015, and Teddy is celebrating – almost three months 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 – his seventeenth birthday. He didn’t want a fuss, but it wasn’t the kind of event that his family were going to let go easily.  
  
There’s cousins in every direction that Teddy looks in, and adults scattered in between them. He’s just finished talking to Molly, thanking her for his birthday cake that – with the help of Lily Luna – he blew all seventeen candles out from not ten minutes ago. Andromeda had joined their conversation and Teddy had easily excused himself, trying to, in his Godfather’s words, ‘find a quiet corner’.  
  
Quiet corners come few and far between in his family, though. He’s learnt that the hard way.  
  
It’s another hour before Teddy finally manages to catch a second for himself, not that he’s complaining. He loves his family; wouldn’t trade them for anything.  
  
But there are two people that no matter how much Teddy wishes could be there to celebrate with him, can never be.  
  
He pulls the picture from the inside of his leather jacket, holding it carefully in his hands. It’s his favourite picture – one taken on a muggle camera. It’s unmoving, and Teddy decided long ago that he likes it better than any other picture he’s ever seen of his parents. He’s tampered with it so that it will never come to any damage, and the colour will never fade. His mother’s hair is a vibrant shade of pink, while his father’s face is lit up with a smile.  
  
“I wish they were here too.”  
  
Teddy turns to look at his Grandmother. She’s smiling softly, having to look up to him now that he’s tall enough to tower over her. Teddy shows her the picture that she’s seen countless times before, smiling to himself. Andromeda’s hand comes to rest on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. Teddy whistles, blowing out a quiet tune. He’s wandered far enough from the party that it’s little more than a dull noise in the background.  
  
“Think they’d be proud?”  
  
“What do you think?”  
  
Teddy turns to look at his Grandmother then. Her hand is still on his shoulder, and for a moment, Teddy forgets that he’s just turned seventeen. He flashes back to the night Andromeda told him about his parents and where they had gone. He flashes back to spending nights going through old pictures with Andromeda and being allowed to pick the ones he wants up in his bedroom. He flashes back to hearing stories about his parents from his family. He flashes back to being told on multiple occasions that he’s just like his parents.  
  
“I think…”  
  
He tucks the picture back into his pocket. His blue hair has a streak of pink running through it, and around his left wrist is his father’s watch. After all that he’s heard about his parents, and all that he doesn’t know about them even now, he decides that there’s one thing he knows for certain –  
  
“They would be.”


End file.
